


I Get You

by cat_got_my_tongue



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, First Meeting, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I intended it to be the start of a romance but this is just them meeting so read it how you want to, M/M, Post-Endgame, discussions surrounding death, the Harley/Peter could be read as either platonic or romatic, tony stark's funeral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22899559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cat_got_my_tongue/pseuds/cat_got_my_tongue
Summary: The last thing Peter Parker expected to see at Tony Stark’s funeral was another person his own age.  So, when Peter spotted a boy about his age with dirty-blonde hair and red-rimmed blue eyes, he was a little taken aback.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 143





	I Get You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my very first (posted) fanfic! This was sitting on my computer for months, but I finally got the courage to post it. I'm not sure how well I got the characterization across, but I tried, lol. Any sort of feedback is greatly appreciated!

The last thing Peter Parker expected to see at Tony Stark’s funeral was another person his own age. To be honest (before he found out about and met Morgan), Peter expected no other “children” but himself to be present; the funeral was for family and he had never seen any other kid interact with Tony in life the way he had.

So, when Peter spotted a boy about his age with dirty-blonde hair and red-rimmed blue eyes, he was a little taken aback. He made a mental note to maybe introduce himself later, as this kid clearly meant something to Tony, but immediately forgot it in the wake of the ceremony. 

It had only been a week since Tony’s death and subsequent saving of the universe, and the mental image of Tony dying in front of his eyes was still incredibly fresh in Peter’s mind. In terms of the stages of grief, Peter knew he had moved past denial and anger- the constant crying and new hole in the wall of his bedroom were proof- but wasn’t sure where he was now. He didn’t feel incredibly sad, or angry, or really… anything at all. His grief, on top of the confusion of following hastily-made societal adjustments after what was now known as “The Blip,” had left him feeling exhaustion and numbness deep in his bones. But occasionally, a new little feeling would work its way through into Peter’s mind to break up the depression: panic.

Peter didn’t cry as much as he thought he would as the ceremony occurred. His eyes did water, but the body-shaking, throat-hurting, guttural sobbing he thought he would experience did not happen. Instead, the nagging little internal panic took over. How was his life going to go on without Tony? Was he going to be able to muster up the courage to become Spider-Man again after all this? Could he actually handle any new conflicts without fearing for his life? Could he ever live up to what Tony envisioned for him? How the fuck was he supposed to get on with life after everything?

Peter needed a distraction. A deep itch had crawled its way under his skin. He felt beads of sweat form on his body. His throat began to feel tight. It was just too constricting, being reminded of all Tony had wanted him to be- what he felt like he may never become. 

The minute the ceremonial aspect of the funeral ended- without even a glance to Aunt May, who he didn’t want to burden with all this-, Peter speed-walked to the front of Tony’s lakefront home, away from the congregation of superhero mourners in the backyard. He just needed a moment; the pitying glances were too much, the whole ceremony felt much too soon for him emotionally… he needed to breathe. In that moment, he wished Ned were here with him (and MJ, but he still hadn’t spilled the superhero beans to her) to help him feel more grounded. Peter knew Aunt May could also help, but lately he had felt more like a burden to her than anything else… he had screwed up her life far too much over the course of his own.

Slowly, Peter sat on the front porch and took a deep breath. Itching to do something, he began to drum a beat to a random song with his fingers against the wooden porch. He felt his thoughts clear slightly, and he began to get a grip over his overflowing emotions. Not long after, he felt an incoming presence before hearing footsteps behind him.

“I’m okay, May, just please give me a minute.” Peter said quietly, without even bothering to look at who he was addressing. 

“I don’t know who May is, but I’m sure I’m not her.” Replied a masculine voice that very much did not belong to Aunt May. Peter straightened in surprise, turning around to see the boy from earlier leaning against the wall of the Stark home, his crystal blue eyes fixed on the horizon.

“Oh, um… sorry, I, uh, thought you were… ya know….” Peter stammered, not knowing in the slightest how to address this person. Was he a superhero too? Or just a good friend of Tony? Did he know who Peter was? The boy’s eyes, still red-rimmed but much clearer than earlier, did not move in the slightest, but his lip upturned microscopically at Peter’s awkwardness.

“Who are you?” Peter blurted, his curiosity getting the better of him. Once the words left his mouth, he felt heat rise to his cheeks while he cringed internally.  
'Real sensitive, Parker.' He thought. 'Poor guy’s at a funeral and is getting asked who he is.'

“Harley.” The boy replied, peeling himself off the wall and moving to sit a respectable distance from Peter on the porch. He extended a hand out before adding, “Harley Keener.”

“Peter Parker.” Peter said, hesitantly shaking Harley’s hand. It was warm and too heavily calloused for someone his age, just like Peter’s. 

'Hero, then?' He wondered. 

“I would say sorry for your loss, but I’m sure you’ve heard enough of that today, and to be honest, I’m sick of hearing ‘sorry’ myself.” Harley said once the handshake ended, the longer sentence exposing what Peter noticed to be the lightest tinge of a Southern accent. It only added to his confusion of how Harley knew Tony. Still, the comment got a sympathetic nod out of Peter.

“Ain’t that the truth.” He agreed. A moment of comfortable silence passed before Peter spoke again. “I really don’t mean to be rude, Harley, but how did you-”

“Know Tony Stark?” Harley interrupted, one eyebrow raising as he looked at Peter. When Peter nodded, he continued. “Don’t worry, I don’t find it rude. It stings just a little to know Tony never told y’all about me, but in all honesty, I don’t blame him.”

“I’m not a superhero like any of you all- and yes, I know you’re Spider-Man so don’t play dumb, Parker. Tony and I met by chance a few years ago, back when I was ten. He broke and entered his way into my basement back in Tennessee and I saved his unlucky behind.”

Harley spoke while staring wistfully into the horizon, his eyes showing his mind was fully enraptured in the memory and his mouth forming a soft smile. Peter barely had a moment to feel offended that Harley already knew his secret before he felt shock.

“You saved Tony Stark when you were ten years old?” He asked incredulously. When Harley looked back over at him, he almost laughed at Peter’s wide eyes and gaping mouth. “Are you sure you’re not a superhero?”

“Nah, I’m just a mechanic.” Harley replied, smiling slightly at Peter. “I won’t go into detail because I gotta keep some mystery to me, but in the end Tony left me a bunch of new tools and made sure to check up on me every few weeks or so… as close to a dad as I ever got, really.”

“For someone who claimed they didn’t like kids, Tony was a pretty good father figure, huh?” Peter said, wondering if Harley knew about his relationship with Tony.

“Yeah, he was.” Harley said softly. Then, he locked eyes with Peter. “You and I- and Morgan now- were lucky to have him be that for us. I wish I didn’t take it for granted as much as I did.”

“I know how you feel.” Peter responded, shifting a little closer to Harley. “He helped me grow and become better and see what I was capable of… if only I got the chance to properly thank him, I- “

Peter got cut off by a lump in his throat. Harley delicately placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“Pepper told me all about you when I got here.” Harley spoke, to give Peter time to collect himself. “The shit you went through… is more than I can fathom. And yet, I think I understand what you’re feeling. Pepper said Tony had intended to have us meet sometime, and now I see why… we got a lot in common, Parker. You’re the one person- besides sweet little Morgan- at this whole goddamn thing who really gets what I’m feeling, ya know?”

“Yeah.” Peter replied, his voice thick. “You, Morgan, and I… we lost a father.”

Peter had never fully allowed himself to think of Tony as his dad before. His traitorous brain had briefly tinkered at the idea before, but Peter always shot it down. He had a biological father who had loved him and Uncle Ben. They may both have passed, but that didn’t diminish the role they had had in Peter’s life. He hadn’t even known Tony for that long, but Peter felt the truth in every slightly over-protective action Tony made: they cared for each other like father and son. Just because they had that kind of relationship didn’t mean the ones he had with his dad and Uncle Ben didn’t exist anymore. Finally allowing himself to accept that fact, as he sat on the porch with someone who shared the same experience, gave Peter a sense of calm he wasn’t expecting. 

The two boys continued to talk back and forth for what felt like an eternity, both reminiscing on the marvelous man they had the pleasure of knowing. The man who cared for them in a way they both needed. 

It was nice. 

After a long while, people began to make their way to the front yard to say goodbyes- the funeral was over. In tandem, the boys got up and walked out to the lawn side-by-side.

“I’m staying with Pepper and Morgan for the time being.” Harley said. The group of mourners leaving was steadily growing. “I’m still trying to track down my mom and sister, see if they were dusted or not, but for the foreseeable future I’m here. If you ever want to talk to someone who knows what you’ve been through… or just want the company of a fellow tech nerd… I’m around.”

“That really means a lot, man.” Peter replied, feeling warmth bubble in his chest and the biggest smile he’d made in a while creep onto his lips. “I just might take you up on that. And the same offer stands from me to you.”

Harley nodded and smiled before taking Peter into a hug. It caught Peter slightly off guard, but he found himself giving into it. The support from someone who felt the same way he did was absolutely needed. The two mourning teens separated just as Peter spotted May walking with Pepper towards the lawn.

“Friends?” Peter asked hesitantly, holding out his hand to Harley, who looked on the brink of laughter.

“People don’t just mourn the death of their father figure together and not become friends, Parker.” Harley replied with a small smile, shaking Peter’s hand firmly.  
Harley walked off to talk to Pepper, and Peter reunited with May. The pair said goodbye to almost every superhero under the sun before finally giving tearful condolences to Pepper and Morgan- who had already wormed her way deeply into Peter’s heart. They all promised to meet up soon, and Peter began to head back home. 

The car ride with May was silent, but not uncomfortably so. She was trying to give Peter space, and he knew that. In the silence, Peter couldn’t help but think about Harley. How much they were alike. How much their presence had benefited each other in one of the saddest times of their lives. Peter knew he was going to become good friends with him, he just knew it. It was one of those things where you meet someone and just instantly connect on a level you can’t place.

It was like fate had brought them together, and Peter had never felt more grateful.


End file.
